Razr2 V9 on AT&T Cell Phone Review - Making/Receiving Calls
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Mark Brezinski Published on October 02, 2007 Comment on this |
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Dialing Speed (3.35)
We test dialing speed by timing how long it takes to input each of five different test numbers. We then average the times. AT&T's Razr2 V9 scored about the same as its other iterations, taking about 3.35 per phone number. This is a good time for a flip phone. The large buttons mean you probably won't make any mistakes while dialing.
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Razr2 V9 | 3.35 | 5.97 |
| Sanyo Katana DLX | 3.76 | 5.32 |
| Nokia N75 | 3.34 | 5.99 |
| Samsung Blast | 3.36 | 5.95 |
| Helio Fin | 3.64 | 5.49 |
| Apple iPhone | 3.96 | 5.05 |
Talk and End Buttons (6.5)
The talk and end buttons are located on the bottom left and right corners of the d-pad array. They're quite large, and have distinct textures to their icons, so they should be easy to find by touch. As you'll read in the hardware section, none of the keys on the phone have spectacular travel, since all the internal buttons are printed on the same piece of metal. The problem is especially pronounced toward the edges, but by no means will it ruin your Razr2 experience.
Call Management (5.0)
In a call, the soft keys link to options on the left and speaker phone on the right. The Options menu holds old standbys like mute, hold, and new call, but also includes options to view your recent calls, use Bluetooth, enable TTY mode, remind you of your telephone number, open an application, or look at "other info." Other info clues you in to your Flex and S/W versions, or lets you know if you're data or browser-ready. The smart key, shutter button, and Media net shortcut all perform their intended functions, but apparently Cellular Video is off limits.
Conferencing is relatively easy to initiate, as when you have two calls on the line the right soft key changes to "Link." Once you've started a conference call, though, individual numbers and names are lost in the mix.
Startup to Call (14.75)
Here we score a phone based on how quickly it can turn on and make a call. The Razr2 V9 took 14.75 seconds, which is much quicker than the Sprint and Verizon versions of the phone, which took 37.90 seconds and 22.82 seconds, respectively. This is just an example of the difference software can make on performance. Potential users should note that numbers can be input during the AT&T animation while the phone boots up, which makes dialling quicker.
| Cell Phone | Time (sec) | Score |
| Razr2 V9 | 14.75 | 6.78 |
| Sanyo Katana DLX | 24.26 | 4.12 |
| Nokia N75 | 40.56 | 2.47 |
| Samsung Blast | 21.48 | 4.66 |
| Helio Fin | 28.18 | 3.55 |
| Apple iPhone | 26.12 | 3.83 |
Ring Volume (8.48)
To measure ring volume, we hold the phone up to a sound pressure meter to find out how many decibels each ringtone is. The loudest ringtone on the Razr2 V9 was 84.8 decibels. This is a bit weak, and we noticed none of the tones were particularly ear-catching. If you get the V9, you should be prepared to pay close attention, or else you could miss calls.
| Cell Phone | Volume (decibels) | Score |
| Razr2 V9 | 84.8 | 8.48 |
| Sanyo Katana DLX | 85.7 | 8.57 |
| Nokia N75 | 85.3 | 8.53 |
| Samsung Blast | 85.5 | 8.55 |
| Helio Fin | 85.6 | 8.56 |
| Apple iPhone | 84.9 | 8.49 |
Ringtone Customizability (2.0)
While you can't use songs as ringtones, you can use voice clips. You can also purchase ringtones from AT&T for $2.50 each. That's rather expensive; we give more points to phones that let you use the music you already own as ringtones.
Non Audio Alerts (6.0)
The V9's vibration is fairly weak and easy to miss if it's in a pocket. If it's in a bag, it'll be a missed call virtually every time. While vibrating, the external screen lights up and shows you the incoming call's information, but if you can see the screen chances are the phone is on a table or in your hand, and you'll hear or feel the vibration anyway.
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